The summer’s family weight loss challenge is like an Arthur Murray dance class. Every week I do 2 steps forward, then the weekend comes and it’s 1 step back. It’s a fun dance of flab!

The backsliding takes place because all our friends and family celebrate get-togethers with food and drink. That’s my problem. I need to ditch this family, and these friends, and take up with people who train for triathlons every weekend.

As reported in a previous Biggest Loser; Family Edition blog post, Party Like It’s 1999, it turns out that adult beverages have calories. And these very same drinks seem to lead, inexorably, to bad food choices. This weekend, it was wine, cheese, and of course, chocolate. The exact same decadent double chocolate cake from Portillo’s that lured me in several weeks ago, showed up at Saturday’s party. It mysteriously plunked it’s chocolateness right down in front of my chubby, drooling self. I swear the Diet Gods are playing with me.

Methinks I smell a saboteur. I wonder if my brother-in-law, Pat, has a charge account at Portillo’s.

Fast-forward to today, midweek, and I am behaving. On most days, lunch for me consists of a Lean Cuisine, or whichever of its brethren was on sale for $2 that week. While placing today’s offering (lasagna) in the microwave, I chanced a glance at the package. The top proudly proclaimed the meal had “Taste Beyond Words”. As you might imagine, I was pretty eager for the timer to go off so I could dig in.

I was not beyond words. Lots of them occurred to me. Words like “flavorless” and “rubbery”, “bland” and “cheese with the texture of Malto-Meal”. OK, that last is a phrase. The point is, I was not struck dumb by the exquisite flavor of this dish.

I cannot understand how the folks at Fake-Fat, Over-Salted Meal In A Cardboard Box, Inc. got this so wrong.

But at least the lasagna-like product accomplished its mission of filling up some of the empty places inside me (gastronomically, not emotionally) so I wouldn’t fall, like a ravening beast, on a co-worker’s Kentucky Fried Chicken carryout (the sadist.)

All the other challenge participants have been pretty quiet about their progress, which leaves me unsure of where I stand in the running. I guess as long as I maintain the 2-1 ratio of losses to gains, I will continue to make progress. I’m hoping that fable about the Tortoise and the Hare wasn’t all hogwash. Maybe slow but steady will win the race.

You might have a better success rate if you get some decent lean cuisines. Try the ones in the black and white bags that you steam. Much tastier than their cardboard box brethren and though they’re more expensive, they’re cheaper than eating out.

Bwahaha! I love these illustrations as well, and your comments about the lots of words that occurred to you. I, too, have had those meals, and have never once thought, “Gosh, I wish I could eat this for every meal!”

I too need to ditch this family if I’m going to be a serious challenger to you! These past few weeks have been unproductive but I’m trying to pep talk my way to more stringent food choices and more exercise.Got to go,I promised Pat I’d make a blueberry pie with the last of the berries-help!

Amen, sisters! I sure picked the most action packed eating schedule for family events ever, I swear! Not doing so great myself. Need to start swimming again. Did see my Dr yesterday and got a px for physical therapy for my knee. It will be weird not seeing fam this weekend, Peg. Have a great weekend!